St. Landry democrat., 1887-06-18
THE LABOR QUESTION.
OF THE ROMAN CATHO-
Lie CHURCH TO THE KNIGHTS.
federation All That Has Been Secured
for the Order at Present-An Archiepis-
copal Commission to be Summoned for
the Consideration of the Subject.

The general impression is that the plea
made by Cardinal Gibbons before the Propa-
banda Eide and the Pope at Rome in behalf
OF the knights of Labor and free speech has
secured the federation of the order at the
hands of the Roman Catholic Church.
correspondent of the New York San, writing
from Baltimore shows that the matter is not
ended yet, but can only be decided by an
approaching council of American arch
bishops soon to be called in Baltimore.
The cardinal reached home few days ago.
The correspondent quotes from the acts
and DEGREES of the late Plenary Council the
following:
Care must be taken lest workingmen's So
cleues, under the pretext of mutual assist
ance and protection, should commit any of
the evils Of condemned societies and lest
the members should be induced by the arti-
tices of designing men to break the laws Of
justice, by withholding labor to which they
are rghttully bound or by otherwise IN
lawfully violating the rights of their en-
ployers.
He goes on to show that the DEGREES of the
council were largely shaped, if not dictated,
by the priests in attendance at the council,
and that their effect has been to greatly cur
tail the arbitrary rule of bishops. The
archblshops are for the most part, like Cardi-
nal Gibbons, men Of practical and liberal
views Commenting upon the above extract
from the decree de Societatibus, the CORE
spOndent says:
The council takes great care to emphasize
the fact that all movements for the better
ment Of Workingmen have and have always
had, the full sanction and the hearty COM
mendatiOn of the church. When such pre-
tended movements 60 beyond the bounds OF
law, then they cannot be described as for the
betterment of the tOilers, but rather for their
degradation. Even well-intentioned move
ments, with honest men in the leadership,
are often led to take steps which are unwise
and often positively criminal. Just here
comes in the difficulty. 1t is hard to define
strict line, and in its absence, how are
we to determine whether or no an associa-
ton has just taken that amount of unwise
steps which render it condemnable? The
church, while determined to protect work
ingmen in their just aspirations, is equally
determined to raise fearless voice against
the invasion of Socialism and Anarchy. It
is easy to pronounce in general about these
matters, but when it comes to naming a
society as guilty, it is matter demanding
careful consideration and thought, and that
necessity the late Plenary Council recognized
by having such cases subject to the action of
the archiepiscopal commission alone.
Cardinal Gibbons defense of the Knights
of Labor, and incidently of American free
speech and free action, within the bounds of
law, was really plea, and a successful one,
for the suspension of sentence. This he has
secured, but the case is by no means ended
yet. 1t cannot be, according to the decree |
have quoted, which having been approved
by the Propaganda Eide and the holy
see, is now the law of the church
in the United States until the archie
piscopal commission has been called
together and has passed upon the legality of
the order Before the cardinal left for Rome
he saw several of the archbishops. Some of
them came to Baltimore; Others he met in
New York. The principal subject of these I
meetings was not any mere formallty, as the
outside public may have thought, but the
discussion of this very topic for the labor
movement has greatly agitated the church
as well as the state. Thus, the reference to
the holy see has not been made before any
formal meeting of the commission.
Doubtless Cardinal Gibbons is armed with
welghty counsel from the learned officers of
the Propaganda, and when he assemblies the
archbishops he will have a pretty clear
course mapped out for their consideration,
What that course will be has already been
indicated by the cardinals report on the
Knights of Labor. l think the great ma
jority of archbishops will heart Y approve
his views. Labor's efforts to right itself,
so long as it refrains from violent and I'M
lawful means, will not only escape the con-
demnation Of the church, but will moreover
secure its sincere approval and sanction.